The executive director-treasurer serves as the chief executive officer of the convention and a spiritual leader who provides statewide guidance and inspiration.

Unzicker was elected executive director-treasurer on May 22, 2021, during a special called meeting of the state convention. Prior to his election, he served in a variety of roles in local church ministry, as the leader of a local Baptist association, and as an international missionary.

Immediately prior to leading the work of the state convention, Unzicker served on staff at The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham from 2012 to 2021. He has also served as a director of missions in Florida and as a missionary in Central America.

While at The Summit Church, Unzicker served in a variety of roles, which included chief of staff, pastor of sending and campus pastor. The Summit became the top missions-sending church in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the top Cooperative Program giving church in North Carolina during Unzicker’s tenure as pastor of sending. During that time, The Summit also ranked among the leading churches in the state in total number of baptisms each year.

Unzicker also worked closely with The Summit’s lead pastor, J.D. Greear, during Greear’s tenure as president of the SBC. Through that work, Unzicker played a key role in mobilizing churches around SBC strategies such as the “Who’s Your One?” evangelism initiative, the “Go2” collegiate missions initiative and the “Caring Well” initiative to help churches prevent sex abuse and care for victims.

Before joining the staff of The Summit Church, Unzicker served as the director of missions for the Holmes Baptist Association in Bonifay, Florida, from 2007 to 2012 before the title was renamed associational mission strategist. While serving in Florida, he worked to bring mostly small, rural churches with bivocational pastors together for church planting and international missions. He also served for two years as a missionary in Central America.

Unzicker earned his bachelor’s degree from the Baptist Bible College of Florida and his master of divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological seminary. Prior to his salvation and his call to ministry, Unzicker worked as a sports reporter covering the nationally ranked University of Georgia football program.

A native of Fairfax, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C., Unzicker has been married to his wife, Ashley, since 2007. The Unzickers have three children and reside in Wake Forest.

OUR MISSION

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